2007 Buick Lucerne Pricing

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2007 Buick Lucerne KBB Expert Review

The Lucerne is Buick's flagship sedan. Replacing the long-running Park Avenue, the Lucerne shuns the soft ride and geriatric image once associated with Buicks and moves the division into a realm populated by such formidable names as Lexus, Acura and Lincoln. Sharing a common platform with the Cadillac DTS, the Lucerne is offered in three trim levels, each offering a different blend of ride comfort, performance and handling. The Lucerne's spacious cabin is awash in fine materials and displays an exemplary attention to detail -- it's also the quietest Buick interior every produced. Buyers can opt for a fuel-efficient V6 or a potent 275-horspower Northstar V8, as well as GM's Magnetic Ride Control suspension (CXS trim) to transform the Lucerne from stately boulevard coach to agile touring sedan.

You'll Like This Car If...

If you're a current or former Buick large
sedan lover, or have been away from roomy, comfy big American sedans for a while and would like a good reason to return, Lucerne is easily the best full-size Buick ever and one of the best full-size American cars of any brand.

You May Not Like This Car If...

If you can't get comfortable with the idea of picking a domestic brand versus a higher-image import, you may not care for the new Lucerne. This cleanly-crafted four-door looks good enough to earn more youthful (read fiftyish) buyers than the previous Park Avenue, but it's still no kids' cool cruiser.

What's New for 2007

New available features for 2007 include a heated leather and wood steering wheel, touch-screen DVD navigation and the OnStar Directions and Connections turn-by-turn navigation feature.

Driving It

Driving Impressions

We spent quality time on freeways, around town and on challenging two-lanes in both base V6 and top-line V8 CXS Lucernes and found much to like and little to criticize. The standard car allows relatively spirited driving (more aggressive than its buyers will likely attempt) with adequate power, good control and solid braking. Only its ultra-light power steering disappointed us, yet it might please typical buyers.

The V8-powered CXS would be our choice for its full complement of features and outstanding ride and handling although its magnetic power steering also struck us as a bit light and devoid of feel. Especially impressive were the unusually low noise levels inside both cabins, thanks to Buick's standard QuietTuning.

Remote Vehicle Start
GM's remote start lets you start the engine and warm or cool the cabin (while the car stays securely locked) well in advance of departing. Once you've tried it you won't want to live without it.

Vehicle Details

Interior

The Lucerne's 203.2-inch overall length falls midway between the previous Park Avenue and LeSabre. That gives interior room comparable to the Park Avenue's, with an inch more rear legroom than the shorter LeSabre's. This compares well to Chrysler's 300C and Ford's 500, and substantially out-spaces Toyota's Avalon and the much pricier Lexus GS. The highly refined interior fits are tight -- materials and finishes are premium with excellent attention to detail -- and Buick's "QuietTuning" substantially reduces most road, wind and powertrain noise.

Exterior

Unlike the demure LaCrosse, the Lucerne sets the styling theme for the next generation of Buick passenger cars. With a shapely new interpretation of the marque's signature waterfall grille between jewel-like projector-beam headlamps, its look is athletic, graceful and upscale American with a touch of Lexus. Twin under-the-bumper front air intakes sport a single horizontal chrome rib apiece, which are echoed by a slim bright accent along the decklid's lower edge. The sleek roofline holds a distinctively-shaped rear pillar. The wheels fill their wells for a muscular stance, and the portholes are set at a slight angle to accentuate the body's wedgy profile.

Under the Hood

GM's reliable workhorse, the 3.8-liter overhead-valve 3800 V6, has been developed and refined through many years to provide a surprisingly pleasing balance of performance and economy. In a rare appearance outside of a Cadillac, the smooth and powerful 275-horsepower dual-overhead-cam Northstar V8 -- an option in the Lucerne CXL and standard in the CXS -- offers substantially stronger performance at a two- to three-mile-per-gallon sacrifice in fuel economy. The standard four-speed automatic could use another ratio or two to better compete with the five- and six-speed automatics found in upper-level imports and some domestics.

Pricing Notes

With GM emphasizing lower "value pricing" instead of higher stickers offset by big incentives, the well-equipped Lucerne CX has a starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $26,265. The CXL has an MSRP of $29,280 for the V6 model and $31,290 for the V8. The top-of-the-line CXS has an MSRP of $35,295. General Motors hopes initial demand will keep transaction prices near MSRPs, but time will tell whether value pricing will supplant the major incentives that many buyers have come to expect. Click on Fair Purchase Prices to see what consumers are actually paying and click the Incentives tab for information on promotional offers. In terms of resale value, the Lucerne is projected to fare about as well as its domestic competitors, but do considerably worse than its more expensive import-brand competitors.